I'll Never Let Them Hurt You
by isabella13x
Summary: 3 sister killjoys are fighting to survive in the deserts of 2019 California, while protecting a young girl, when they are called to train the Fabulous Killjoys. And yes, I used a song lyric for the title.
1. Chapter 1

July 28, 2012 – Toronto, Canada

Bombs. Missiles. Explosions. Pain. Misery. Death.

This is what the entire country of Canada is experiencing today. No warnings were given, no one knows who the enemy is.

Safe houses. Pushing. Screaming. Crying.

Parents are throwing their children into the bomb shelters beneath the city. Children are split up from their parents, friends are lost, homes gone, and pain. Pain is everywhere.

In one area of the city, a mother and father struggle to remove themselves from a shelter to allow their 3 daughters a chance at survival. They are all crying, and the girls are shoved into the dark cellar without a chance to say goodbye to their parents.

The door is shut, people inside are silent, and a bomb lands just outside the shelter. The walls rattle, but it holds. Screaming, crying, for the loved ones outside.

And in the dark, the oldest sister holds the crying little ones and promises them: "I'll keep you safe tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

California (or what's left of it)

Zone 4

Poison Heart looked over the barren desert, struggling to see the outline of her sister's Trans Am. She sighed. It worried her to know that her little sisters had been gone for so long. She knew it took them a while to find safe places to raid, and she had no one but herself to blame for her being left behind. She turned and kicked at the self painted motorcycle beside her.

"Shit! Son of a bitch!" she cussed, and hopped on her good foot.

She had found the bike when they had travelled to California, after… she shook her head. She didn't think about it anymore. Mom and Dad were gone. Nothing she could do now but take care of the younger girls. That's what she had promised them when they were in the warehouse. The sun started to set, and as soon as the glare went down, she saw the outline of the old car in the distance. She smiled. Static Symphony was driving, she could already tell, because of the speed that the car was travelling at. She could only imagine her other sister in the passenger seat, Graffiti Valentine, clinging to the car for dear life. It only took them about a minute to reach her, and when they did, the driver jumped out, smiling hugely.

"I think that's a new record, don't you, Val?" She looked over, and laughed. Valentine was shakily climbing out of the passenger seat, and mumbling something about how Static would 'kill her one of these days.' Poison looked at them and was reminded of when they were small and would bicker over anything, and how even though they were fighting to survive, as well as fighting to help others survive, they still found time to fight.

"C'mon girls, let's go home." She turned to her bike.

"NO!" Shouted Valentine, "I am NOT getting back in that car with her!" She pointed at Static, who smiled innocently and shrugged.

"Well, fine, then. Val, you get to drive, and Static, if you do anything to freak her out, I _swear_ you will regret it." Poison hopped on her bike and throttled the ignition. The other girls scrambled to get in the car and start it before she left them. Before Poison could leave, Static put her head out the car window and shouted:

"Where is home tonight, Poison?"

"I found an old hut a few miles away. It'll do." And she took off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey readers! I'm sorry that I'm writing really short chapters, but I promise that when the story gets more to it, there will be more to write! Keep reviewing, I love hearing from you guys!**

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><p>California, 2019<p>

Zone 4

Poison pulled up to the small house and turned off the bike. She heard her sisters pull up a moment later, and they climbed out of the Trans Am. Valentine seemed much more composed now than she had after her experience with Static's driving. They locked the car, and walked through the front door. Static and Val headed straight for a bedroom each, but Poison hesitated. She could never sleep somewhere without knowing exactly where she was. She wandered into what was once a living room of some sort. The couch was moth bitten and dusty, and the fireplace was covered in soot. She noticed some dusty photographs that were still standing, and wiped the dust off of them. The pictures were of a family – a mother, a father, and two small boys. She wondered what had happened to them when the world was bombed, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away, and sniffled. She had always been emotional, ever since she was a baby. She was 16 when the bombs came, and now she was 23. 23 years old, and yet, she felt much, much older. She headed to the hallway, and looked in the first bedroom. Val had fallen asleep already – she had always been like that. She smiled at the girl – no, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She would be turning 20 soon – next month, actually. Val was snoring gently, and Poison headed to the next room. She saw Static, and didn't realize that she would still be awake.

"Hi, Hearty." She smiled. Static was always trying to get on people's nerves, but Poison was used to it.

"Hi, Shorty." Poison smiled, because she knew this wasn't true. Static was the baby of the three girls, but she was the tallest.

"Shut up, you're the short one, and you know it. I'm 5'9, and you're what? 4'10?" She smiled.

"I'm 5'2, thanks though." Poison smacked her gently on the arm. "So, why're you still up?" She fixed a piece of Static's hair – hmm. She would need to re-dye the green streaks soon.

"Can't sleep. I know missing them won't help or bring them back or anything, but I do miss them." She smiled sadly and looked down.

"I know. I miss them too." Poison put a hand on her little sister's shoulder.

"Wait – you can feel emotions? Wow, I didn't know that!" Static smiled again. She did that a lot.

"Yeah, I can. And y'know what else I think?"

"What?" The younger girl leaned towards her sister.

"What it would be like if those assholes at BL/ind hadn't fucked everything up." Poison snarled. Static patted her head. It made her upset to see her big sister upset, because she was normally able to control her anger towards BL/ind. She also wondered what her life would be like if things hadn't changed. She was 19 years old, and probably would've been in Law school. Funny how things could change so much.

Poison stood up and smiled. Static noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"G'night, Static. See you in the morning."

"Don't let the Dracs bite!" Static called cheerily after her. Poison laughed, but didn't turn around. She headed down the hall and found the last bedroom in the small house. It must have been the master, even though most of the furniture was gone. Other killjoys must have been here, she thought. They normally took the furniture and used it for other things they needed. She sat on the mattress that had been left on the floor, and pulled her boots off, followed by her jeans and jacket. She lovingly stroked the heart with X eyes that Val had sewn onto the leather. She knew that Val would have traded anything for their old lives – she had wanted to go to art school, but those didn't exist anymore. Poison lay down in her tee shirt and boy-short underwear and played music through her head. It always helped her sleep. She thought of her old home, how there was always a guitar or piano available to play. She missed home, but she missed music even more. As her eyes fluttered and closed, the final line of a song rang through her mind.

_So long, and goodnight. So long, and goodnight._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi readers! I thought I would mix it up a bit this chapter - time for some new characters! Enjoy!**

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><p>California 2019<p>

Zone 6

"SHOW PONY! Where the hell is that boy?" Dr. Death Defying wheeled himself back to his desk and started sorting through cables and wires. Missile Kid walked through the makeshift door from outside.

"He went out to find killjoys yesterday, so he could start giving out transmitters." She answered calmly.

"Oh, that's right. Damn, I'm getting old. Thanks, Missile." Dr. D smiled at the little girl. She smiled back.

"So, Kid, what're you up to today?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She answered a little too quickly, and blushed. He knew she was lying.

"Oh really? You wouldn't be messing around with one of those old missile launchers, would you?"

"No. Not at all." She said

"Really? So if i went into your room right now, there wouldn't be a gun or something in there? Is that what you're saying?" The corner of her mouth twitched, and she answered.

"Messing around is different than fixing." She bolted through the door, and Dr. D heard her door close down the hall.

"Just don't blow yourself up, okay Kid?" He called out after her

"OKAY!" Missile yelled back enthusiastically.

Dr. D turned back to his desk and continued sorting through the wires. Any day now, his radio transmission would be launched through the Zones, to any killjoy Show Pony had been able to give a transmitter to.

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><p>California, 2011<p>

The Way household

Gerard was having trouble sleeping. He had just awoken from a nightmare where his family was in danger. Bombs had been going off, and he had awoken after he was jolted awake by a scream. At first he had thought it was a part of his night terror, but it turned out to be his baby daughter, Bandit. He smiled, knowing that she was safe only a few rooms away. He turned to his wife, who was lying next to him.

"Do you want me to go get her?" Gerard asked Lynz.

"No, she's probably just hungry. I'll go." Lynz sat up, wiped the sleep from her eyes, and got up. Gerard suddenly felt as though he wouldn't see her soon – but that was impossible. He was just tired. He listened as his wife padded down the hall in her slippers, and he heard the light switch in their daughter's room click on. Gerard turned to the alarm clock on his bed side table. 3:36 am.

"Urrgh." He groaned. Just then, he noticed a light coming through his window. It was a reddish colour, so he was sure it wasn't a streetlight. He rolled out of bed and walked to the window to investigate.

As he looked out his window, he noticed that the light was coming from... nowhere? It was just a big, red, ball of light, floating in front of his house outside his window. As he stared at it, it seemed to grow larger.

"Umm, Lynz, you might want to see this." He called quietly

"What?" She called back. Gerard tried to answer her, but a strange sensation had come over him. He couldn't move his mouth, and he noticed that he was unable to move _anything._ He tried to fight it, but the light overcame him and he instantly blacked out.

Little did he know, the same thing had just happened in three other places in the neighbourhood. His brother and friends – Mikey Way, Frank Iero, and Ray Toro – were also travelling through the red light at the same time.

They were leaving their families, with no choice and no idea where they were headed.


	5. Chapter 5

California 2019

Zone 4

Poison was the first to wake up. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Then she shook her head. _Keep it together, Poison. You're in the desert. Zone 4. Go check on your sisters._ It was the same thing she told herself every morning, with the only exception being the change in Zones. She rolled off the mattress, pulled on her dusty purple skinny jeans, grabbed her jacket and holster, and padded down the hallway. At Valentine and Static's rooms, she peered in, only to be met with the same sight in each. Both her sisters were fast asleep. Big surprise. She walked into the kitchen and started going through the cupboards for any remnants of what could be made into coffee.

"Hi there, sweetie!" A voice called from behind her. Poison spun around, jumped, and hit her head on the cupboard door all at once. Her hand went to her holster, but she noticed that the man – or boy, whatever – was a killjoy. He was wearing a half-top that had 'NOISE' printed in large letters, and he was wearing leggings under a thong. He wasn't wearing shoes either – instead he had roller skates.

"Do you _want _to die?" She growled

"Not particularly. I'm here to bring you something, tell you something, and give you an assignment. Or two." He smiled at her

"Last time I checked, I didn't know you. Why would I do what you told me to do?" Poison sneered.

"Well, we need to help each other out, don't we? Anyway, this is for you." He handed her a small device that looked like a radio – with a screen.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Poison asked the boy. "And what's your name?"

"It's a transmitter. Let's you get in touch with other killjoys. And it'll be a radio in a few days – which leads me to my first question – any requests?"

Poison stared. "You mean, songs?"

"Yup. I've been going through the desert finding records – it's my job." He looked at her.

"Umm, yeah, sure – any punk rock is good." Poison stuttered.

"Anything more specific?" He asked

"Well, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, umm... I'm sorry, those are the only bands I can think of." She blushed. 8 years ago she could have listed anything at all. Now she could only remember 2 bands.

"No problem. And now, my next question – you might want to get your sisters, they'll need to decide on this too.

"How do you know I'm not alone?" Poison tried to cover herself, but she blushed. She was a terrible liar.

"Only because I know you're Poison Heart, and your sisters are Static Symphony and Graffiti Valentine. You guys are pretty popular, with your story about coming from Toronto. That's pretty far away, and you were what? 16?" He sat down in a chair and leaned back. He knew he had won, and so did Poison. She sighed.

"What's your name?" She asked him.

"Show Pony."

"Alright then." She turned and walked down the hallway. She got to Val's room first. "LOOK ALIVE, SUNSHINE!" she yelled, and she jumped on her sister.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Val screamed. "The fuck are you doing?"

"Time to get up. We have company." Poison answered, and she ran out the door laughing. She did the exact same thing to Static, who had slept through the entire episode next door. Static's reaction was similar, only she attempted to throw a shoe at her sister, missing only because Poison was able to dart around the door frame before the shoe made contact. Pony listened from the kitchen, and couldn't help but smile. He had heard they were tough, and very close. That's why he had chosen them.

The girls walked into the kitchen, two looking extremely pissed off. Show Pony spoke.

"Alright, how would you feel about going into Battery City and rescuing a little girl?" He asked

"What? Wait – WHAT?" Poison spluttered.

"Yup. She's almost at the age where they'll feed her the meds, and the Killjoys we have stationed at BL/ind think she's special."

"What? I don't get it – there are Killjoys at BL/ind?" Valentine asked

"And they help move kids out?" Static questioned Pony

"Yes and yes. Look, you guys are skilled, and we need her out of there."

Static looked warily at the boy. "You mean that no one else can get her? Why not someone who has done this before?"

"Because they're planning for something...else." He looked away.

"Do we get to know what it is?" Poison asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope." He said with a finality that no one would question, despite his girlish appearance and soft voice. "So, are you willing to do it?"

Poison looked at her sisters. She thought of the little girl, and knew what her answer was. "I'm in." She said. "But if you two don't want to – " Valentine cut her off.

"You think we're gonna skip out on helping a kid? No way in hell, I'm in too."

Static looked shocked when they both glanced warily at her.

"You think I'm gonna stay here? Hell no, I'm the best driver! I'm coming too!"

Pony smiled. "Alright then, here's the deal. You go to Zone 1 today, and at 10:30 tonight drive to the border of Battery City. Take the exit at Route Guano, and you'll be taken to the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit. Ashton will meet you there. And he'll have the girl with him. When you get her, don't stop and talk. Tell Ashton this: 'Transmissions sent. Show Pony knows we'll see you in the desert again one day.' Valentine nodded. She knew that she would be the only one to remember that. Pony nodded.

"Alright then, I'll see you around – and keep those transmitters close. Dr. D's radio cast will be sent out soon." He stood up.

"Wait – what do we do with the girl when we get her out?" Poison asked. Pony shrugged.

"Keep running." And with that, he turned on his skates and sped out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi again readers! Sorry I've not been writing very much lately - I'm trying to balance this story with my other. Anyway, keep reviewing - you're all awesome!**

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><p>California 2019<p>

Zone 4

Poison looked at her sisters.

"Well, at least we have something to do with our lives now." She smiled.

"Yeah, as long as we don't lose them – our lives, I mean." Valentine responded, looking slightly worried. Static Symphony sprang up from the table.

"Well. I'm gonna go see if I can find some extra gas for the Trans Am. D'you need any for your bike, Poison?" She asked

"Yeah, if you can find it. I'll be fine until about Zone 2, but by then I'll be close to empty." Poison said, and Static nodded.

"Alright, I'm going." She looked at her watch. "I'll be back by 9 am." Poison glanced at her watch – it was 7:30 am. She nodded.

"Alright. Be careful – do you have your gun?" Static nodded.

"Don't be such a mom, Poison!" She smiled, waved, and took off. Poison and Valentine looked at each other and heard the old car start up and drive away. Static was going so fast that they could hear the speed.

"She's gonna get killed driving like that. Or she's gonna kill me." Val looked pointedly at Poison. Poison sighed.

"What am I supposed to do about it? That car makes her happy – it makes her feel like she's safe."

"Yeah, but I don't feel safe in it." Val took a breath before continuing. "Can – can I ride your bike?"

"No way in hell." Poison stood up.

"Wait – why not? I'll be careful – you know I will!" Valentine was begging.

"I said no, because when I tried to teach you, that bike scared the shit out of you. What you need is something like a bike, only smaller and lighter." Poison continued her search for coffee while talking.

"But, that would be a scooter – and they suck ass." Valentine pouted. Poison smiled, but her back was turned to Val. After a few minutes, Val sensed she wouldn't get her way. She sighed loudly, and left the room. Poison knew she wouldn't bug her again. After ten minutes of searching through the abandoned kitchen, she had come up with some old flash-frozen meals, a small jar of instant coffee, and about twenty cans of power pup. Yay. She started making the coffee, and couldn't help but try to sort through the questions in her mind.

_How come other Killjoys know about you, but you don't know about them?_ She had no answer for this – maybe someone was spying on them? But who?

_Why were they chosen to help this girl?_ Well, that on she had an answer for – no one else could do it.

_Where are you going to take her afterwards? What if Dracs come after them?_ She decided they would head out a few Zones farther than where they had ever stayed – Zone 7, or something. And if Dracs found them – she was a pretty good shot, and so were her sisters. They would have to deal with something like that when it happened.

Poison drank her coffee, and headed back to the room she had spent the night in. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and drew random song lyrics on her hand. She looked at her watch. 8:26 am. She grabbed all of her things – which was her wallet – she couldn't leave that somewhere, it had kept her grounded since the bombs went off. It had pictures of her family, and even though she had had to destroy anything that her birth name was on, it reminded her of home. And that she couldn't go back.

After the bombs had gone off, Toronto was ruined. The chemicals in the air had killed anyone that had survived the bombs, and most people in the shelters had been killed by the gas in the air. She and her sisters had been in a shelter with enough supplies to sustain everyone – the shelter had been under capacity. It infuriated her that her parents couldn't have gotten in, but she reminded herself for the billionth time – _everything happens for a reason._

If her parents had survived, they would not be in California. They probably would have stayed in Toronto, which became the Battery City of Canada. If they hadn't died, she would be a mindless zombie-like drone in a Battery City. No, what happened happened for a reason.

And then the next big question. Why had she come to California? Poison knew it was because she had always wanted to go there – it had always seemed like a place where nothing wrong could happen. But when she arrived in the old Trans Am she had taught herself to drive, with two small girls, she was heartbroken. California was even worse than Toronto, because BL/Ind had already built its empire. Poison and her sisters were taken in by a group of Killjoys – the first ones they had met – in Zone 6. They were trained by them. The Killjoys – she forced herself to think of their names – Bulletproof Ruby and Battery Drain – were a young, newly married couple. They wanted children, but after the bombs decided they wouldn't bring anyone into this new, dangerous world. So they adopted Poison, Static, and Valentine. They gave the girls their names, dressed them, and fed them.

And then they were killed. Battery had stayed behind to hold off the Dracs when they had come in the night. Poison had never seen him – she didn't even know he had died until they were alone. Ruby had run them to the car, showed Poison the basics of driving, and then went back for Battery.

The girls never saw them again. Poison had refused to go back to Zone 6 since then. She and her sisters had spent 7 years drifting between Zones 5, 4, 3, and 2. But never 1.

The front door slammed. Poison jumped, and shook her thoughts from her mind. She wiped away the single tear that had dripped down her cheek, and got up. She walked down the hall, and into the kitchen. Static was back, and smiling. She looked at her watch. 8:59 am

"Ha! I'm early!" Static shouted, and did a little dance. Poison smiled. Even at 19, Static was child-like. Or, as Static herself put it, 'youthful'. Valentine snorted. Poison hadn't noticed her, but she was sprawled out on the floor of the kitchen, drawing on a piece of canvas with a pencil. She must have found tem in the house.

"You're only early 'cause you drive like the Dracs are after you." Val muttered. Static stuck her tongue out.

"Technically, they are after me. And you, and Poison too." She laughed and spun around. "Anyway, what do we have to travel with?"

Poison motioned at the small pile on the table. "Nothing too extreme, I found some of those fake frozen meals, and coffee." Static's eyes lit up at the word coffee.

"I'll have some quick, and then we'll go. Hey Val, would_ you _like some coffee?" She asked sweetly

"EW. No." Val muttered, and she stood up. Her picture was now revealed. It was dark, sad, and angry – but it was beautiful. Like all her work. Poison patted her arm.

"Let's put it up, okay?" Val nodded. Poison held it up, and Val used the blunt end of her gun to drive a loose nail she had found into it. They stood back. Static came over, coffee in hand.

"Alright, you two art connoisseurs, let's put this stuff in the car and go." They looked at the picture one last time, and walked away to help their sister.

The couple in the picture – Battery Drain and Bulletproof Ruby – stared after them. Val had felt that drawing them was the only way to honour them for their sacrifice.

A few minutes later, Val and Static were in the Trans Am – Static driving, of course – and Poison was on her bike. She looked back at the house, and then took off, following her sisters on the way to Zone 1 and Battery City.


	7. Chapter 7

California 2019

Zone 3

Poison had been on her bike for hours. Her ass was starting to get sore, and she was relieved when the Trans Am ahead pulled over. She saw Static jump out of the driver's seat and run to a small cave in the bottom of a small hill.

"What the hell are you doing?" She called after the sprinting girl

"I NEED TO PISS!" Static didn't even turn around. She disappeared into the dark cave. Poison smiled, and heard Val laughing in the Trans Am. She walked over to check on her.

"How's the car ride going? You doing all right, Val?" She asked. Val wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and looked at Poison.

"Yeah. She's been wriggling in that seat for an hour, waiting to find a cave or something. It's from the coffee, I told her." Poison nodded. She shifted uncomfortably. Val's eyebrows rose. "You need to piss too, don't you?" She started laughing, and Poison turned around.

"Shut up. You're so annoying. Everyone needs to piss eventually."

"Yeah. But I don't. So there!" Val stuck out her tongue. "Besides, how much longer till we get there?" Poison looked at her watch. It was 11:58 am.

"Well, we're on the border of Zone 3, so we should be able to make it. Now, don't mind me, but I gotta go." Poison spun on her heel and took off for the cave that Static was just exiting.

Static laughed as Poison ran into the cave. "Watch out – I pissed in there!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Poison yelled back

Static left the cool overhang of the cave and stepped into the dry heat. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, and then made her way back to the car.

"Have a nice break?" Val called sarcastically from the passenger seat.

"Yes. I did." Static smiled sweetly. "Are you gonna take a break, or what?"

Val shook her head. "Nope. I was just trying to figure out this Transmission thing. I can't get that radio station Pony boy was talking about." She shook the small device.

"You can't find it 'cause he hasn't started it yet, dumbass." Static reached in through the window and ruffled Valentine's hair. Val cussed and shook her off.

"I knew that." Val said stubbornly

Static laughed again "Of course you did. Y'know, because you are _so smart_!" She walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. Poison came out of the cave.

Static turned to Val. "Wanna scare the shit out of Poison?" she smiled mischievously. Val looked uncertain.

"Whatever. You aren't gonna listen to me anyway." She said. Static smiled, and started the car's engine. She switched it into gear and started driving. She looked in the rear view mirrors to see Poison staring blankly at her in the distance.

Poison was sure that they hadn't forgotten her. Static had a weird sense of humour. Poison knew they were joking and that they'd come back. Soon. A few seconds went by. They never turned around. Poison made her way slowly to her bike. They would turn around soon. Or not. She jogged, and then burst into a sprint, pumping her short legs. She jumped on the bike and took off. They must have forgotten her. Despite her situation, she smiled. Val and Static always forgot her places. I t reminded her of how they had bonded over music, and how they all agreed that she would never catch up to the amount of times the My Chemical Romance guitarist, Ray Toro, had been left behind by his band. She sped the bike up.

Val smiled at Static.

"Did you see her face?" She said, laughing.

"Yup! Oh my God, that was hilarious!" Static threw her arms out the window, steering with her legs. Val's face went pale.

"TWO HANDS ON THE WHEEL! PLEASE PLEASE DON'T GET US KILLED!" She screamed. Static laughed and put her hands on the wheel. She turned onto the side of the road to let her older sister catch up. She wasn't too far behind now.

Poison pulled up alongside Static's window.

"Hey, thanks a lot you guys." She frowned

"Oh, we _completely_ forgot you! I am _so sorry!_" She said in a sarcastically sweet voice. Poison smacked her arm.

"Whatever, you little fuck. And welcome to Zone 3, by the way." She said. Val and Static looked around.

"Oh, I didn't realize that the scenery had changed and that we were in another Zone – but now that I look, it is _so_ different!" Val said sarcastically. Her sisters smiled.

"Anyway, we should just keep driving until we hit Zone 2. Then we can tell how long we have until we need to be in the city." Poison turned to walk to her bike.

"Watch out for Dracs – I hear BL/ind posts a lot in the Zones near Battery City." Val said.

"Thanks, Val. See you on the road." Poison climbed on her red and purple bike and Static started the Trans Am again.

"LET'S KILL TONIGHT!" Static yelled, and the car jolted forward. Val frowned.

"Only if we need to." She looked out the window.

"Obviously." Static smiled. This would be a fun ride. Val looked at her watch. 12:13 pm. Only another few hours until Zone 2. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying not to think about how fast they were really going.


	8. Chapter 8

**hi! sorry i haven't written in so long, but i've been super busy. i've been having trouble with inspiration for my stories, so this took awhile to plan out. anyway, thanks for reading and please keep reviewing! - bella**

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><p>California 2019<p>

Zone 2

The old Trans Am pulled over, and Val practically threw herself out of the car. Static laughed as Val lay on the dusty road, pale with fright.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Val said shakily.

"What? I just wanted to have a little fun." Static said.

"Fun? You think swerving in front of an old car and pulling a fishtail to dodge it is fun?"

"Yep." Static looked in her rear view mirror. "Shit. Poison's coming. She's gonna be pissed."

"Good." Val grumbled, and she pulled herself off the ground. The purple motorcycle pulled up.

"If you two idiots are done being stupid, can we move on? We need to be in Battery City in a few hours, and we're only halfway through Zone 2. And if you haven't noticed, we're getting closer to BL/ind headquarters. That means more Dracs." Poison huffed. "Get back in the car, Val." She pulled ahead of them and drove the bike slowly, waiting for her sisters to follow.

"Someone's in a pissy mood." Static mumbled.

"Can you blame her? You _are_ an idiot." Val smirked and climbed in the car. "Please be careful. When you're alone out here, you can attempt to kill yourself. But I don't want to be involved in your accident."

Static nodded, smiled, and took off after her older sister's bike.

California 2019

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Unit, Battery City

Ashton tried to stay calm as he paced down the dark alleyway, just outside the headquarters.

_Don't freak out, man. Stay calm. There is no way that Korse knows we're moving her out tonight. He's just meeting with Ms. Shima about...security._

Ashton slapped his face. "What is wrong with me?" He said to no one in particular. He checked his watch. 7:57 pm. Just a few more hours.

"Ashton." Came the voice of a woman. He smiled and turned.

"Hey, Emma. Are you ready?" She walked over.

"Almost. I'm gonna miss you, though." She smiled sadly.

"I know. I'll miss you too. But you need to get out while you can. And you know that you don't have a choice, really. Security's getting tighter, and when the Killjoys come tonight you know she's going to be a little nervous. She's only 10, and she knows you." He took her hands in his.

"Ashton..." Emma trailed off. Ashton pushed her bangs from her face.

"Yeah, Em?"

"I'm scared. What if I never see you again? What if something goes wrong?" Her eyes searched his frantically.

"You will see me again. I promise. And you'll be able to take care of yourself. You can shoot a gun, and you can hack into pretty much anything." Ashton leaned toward her, and pressed his nose against hers.

"Love you." He said.

"Love you more." She smiled. Ashton leaned forward and kissed her softly.

"You should probably get ready soon." He said when they had broken apart.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled. "Do these Killjoys know I'm going to be coming along with them?"

"Nope. Pony didn't tell them much, but they have enough room for both of you." Ashton took Emma's hand and they walked slowly down the alley, towards the street.

"Y'know, I hate this place. I really do." Emma spat out. "I'm glad we aren't on those drugs, because we still have our minds...but look at everyone else. The people we loved, admired, trusted...they're gone." Ashton nodded. Emma continued,

"And have you ever wondered why they picked you? Or me? Why don't we take the drug? Why do we have to work for them – have to see the things they do to people?" Her voice faltered, and she cleared her throat. "Today, a young man – maybe 14, 15 years old – died. Because they had to test the strength of their newest drug. It was too strong. They killed him, and not one fucking person in that room cared. They might not all be on the drug, but they're heartless. I hate them." The venom had returned to her voice, and she spat the last words out viciously.

"I know. I hate them too. And you know we aren't on the drug because they need us to think rationally. We need to help them in their work, even if we don't like it. But we've helped kids get out. That's what we do. We help people." Ashton said as they entered the small building that their condo was in.

"We help kill people." Emma said, and they climbed into the elevator, quickly ending their conversation to avoid attention from the elevator operator.

"Good evening. Welcome home. Floor 10, now ascending." The man said robotically. Emma shot Ashton a look that screamed 'See what I mean?"

When the elevator reached the top floor, Emma and Ashton stepped out and headed down the hall to their condo. When they opened the door, they were met with the bleak, white walls and grey furniture that was issued in every home in Battery City. Emma walked down the hall to the bedroom.

"Ash, have you seen my stuff?" She called

"Yeah. It's in the closet, under the loose floorboard. You need to learn to clean up after yourself. What if someone had come in here and seen all your Killjoy shit? Do you know what we would have had to put up with?" Ashton said sternly from the other room.

"Yeah, yeah." Emma mumbled, and she pulled all her things from the closet floor. She looked at them for a moment, and then began to pack them into her bag. She hummed to herself, and checked her watch. 8:46 pm.

"Ash? When are we supposed to get her?" She called.

"9:30. Then we bring her here, and wait till 10:20. That's when we head to the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit, and the girls should be there by then.

Emma walked into the small living room, where Ashton was sitting on the couch. She walked over and snuggled up to him.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Ash." She placed her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Me too. But have fun out there, and kill a few Dracs for me, okay?"

Emma smiled. "You got it."


	9. Chapter 9

California 2019

Battery City

Emma paced down the hall, her sneakers squeaking when she turned.

"Could you stop the squeaking? Please?" Ashton moaned from the couch. Emma turned to face him, her shoes giving one last little squeak. She smiled.

"Fine. But what am I supposed to do? I'm nervous – it's not like I can just sit down or something."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can sit down. You're gonna be tired later, so relax." Emma checked her watch. 9:20.

"Nope – we gotta go get her now. We'll bring her through the stairwell – they never worry about security there – and we'll be fine for a while."

Ashton stood up and stretched. "Alright then." He took Emma's hand and they headed out the door and down the hall, towards the unused stairwell. They climbed down silently until they had reached the fifth floor, where they proceeded to head to unit 5-2. When they reached the door, Ashton knocked gently. A woman, around 40 years old, opened the door a crack, and smiled when she saw them standing there.

"Oh, it's just you. Come in, quick." She stepped aside, and Emma and Ash walked into the small apartment.

"Is she ready?" Emma asked. The woman nodded.

"Just – just let me say goodbye." A tear welled up in her eye, but she wiped it away. She brushed her dark hair behind her ear, when they all heard a small voice.

"Mommy? Is it time now?" A small girl with hazel eyes and light brown hair had walked in the room. She was wearing plain white clothing, and carrying a small backpack that looked like it was completely full.

The woman nodded, and sniffled. "Yes, honey, it's time now. You're gonna go with Emma and Ash, and they're going to take care of you." The girl walked over and took her mother's hand.

"It's okay, momma. You're going to come meet us one day, right?" She looked up innocently, and her mother's voice cracked when she spoke.

"I hope I can, sweetie. But I don't know. I need you to remember something though, okay? I love you more than anything. And so does your father. He's not with us, but if he could be, he would. Trust me. But remember – listen to Emma, be careful, and stay strong. I love you so, so much." She brushed a lock of hair out of the girl's eyes, and hugged her. "I love you so much, Jackie. You know that." She squeezed the small girl softly, and let her go. Tears welled up in Jackie's eyes.

"I love you mommy. I know I'll see you again. And daddy." She said fiercely, despite the tears coming from her eyes. Emma stepped forward.

"Jackie, we need to leave now." She turned to the girl's mother. "Thank you, Alicia." Ashton took Jackie's hand, but Alicia stopped Emma and whispered.

"Take care of her. And if you find Mikey...tell him I love him." She looked pleadingly at Emma.

"I will." The women hugged quickly, and Emma and Ashton walked out of the apartment and back to the stairwell. They climbed to the tenth floor, and walked into their apartment. Jackie sniffled.

"Jackie, it's going to be fine. Your mom is safe, and you will be too." Emma patted her arm. "Come on, we'll have a snack before we leave."

"I'm not hungry." Jackie said quietly, and she turned and headed to the couch. Ashton looked at Emma, and Emma shrugged. She checked the kitchen clock. 9:56 pm. She sighed.

"It's gonna be a long night." Emma leaned against the countertop and closed her eyes.

California 2019

Zone 1 – Border of Battery City

Val looked towards the outline of lights in the distance. Battery City. She looked over at Static, who was curled up in a ball on the driver's seat, napping. She smiled.

_How can someone with so much energy possibly sleep before entering the enemy city and rescuing a kid?_ She wondered. She watched the sun set and the lights in the city come on slowly. She smiled, remembering her home in Toronto. She thought of her 'wall'. It was a collection of posters, magazine articles, and her own personal art. Suddenly there was a knock at the window. Val calmly looked over – she wasn't scared by much anymore. She opened the door and stepped out.

"What's up, sis?" Val asked. Poison looked around nervously.

"I just wanted to say... no matter what happens, I love you. You're awesome." She looked awkwardly at a nearby cactus. Val smiled.

"Love you too. And don't worry, we'll be fine." Just then, Static walked over.

"You sure?" She yawned. "Cause there are no Dracs around, so what if they're planning something?"

"Wow. You're paranoid, aren't ya?" Val laughed, and she hugged her sisters. "You guys are my best friends. I love you, and I couldn't have better sisters." They climbed back into the car, and Poison headed for her bike.

"See you in the city, girls!" Val cried, and they took off towards the lights of Battery City.


	10. Chapter 10

California 2019

Battery City

Static slowed the Trans Am down as she pulled slowly towards the exit on Route Guano. She looked out her window at Poison, who nodded and pulled behind the car. Val pulled her gun out. _Just in case, _she thought. As they pulled into a tunnel, they noticed there was a barrier near the end of it.

"You don't think there are Dracs on patrol there, do you?" Static asked Val.

"Yeah, I do. Drive fast, go right through the barrier, and do not slow down." Val rolled her window down and leaned out. She caught sight of two Dracs in the booth on the barricade, and shot them down before they realized that the fast approaching car contained Killjoys. Static blasted through the barrier and followed the signs directing them to the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit. She looked in her rear-view mirror and saw Poison following close behind on her bike, with her gun out and her mask on.

"SHIT! Val, put on your mask!" Static screeched, while pulling her bandana over the bottom of her face and sliding her aviator sunglasses on. Val scrambled with the yellow mask around her neck. Once they were on, the car sped up towards the large building that had begun to show in the distance.

A few moments later, they had pulled up along the alley by the unit, and a man, woman, and small child hurried out of a side door. Val leaned out the window and spoke to the man.

"Transmissions sent. Show Pony knows we'll see you in the desert again one day. Ashton, right?" She smiled. Ashton nodded.

"Yep, that's it. Jackie, honey, go ahead. Get in the car." He nudged the small girl forward, and opened the door for her. Suddenly, an alarm went off.

"SHIT! Hurry, they're coming!" Ashton pulled a gun out, pushed Jackie into the backseat of the car, and turned to the woman. She had also pulled out a gun.

"Emma, you need to go." He said.

"I'm not leaving you here, I'll stay and fight, and then we can leave. They'll kill you." She said.

Poison rolled the bike over "Umm, yeah, well, if you want to get her," she motioned to the frightened girl in the car's backseat, "You may want to move. Emma, right? Get in the car." She said firmly. Emma looked from the car, to the short red haired killjoy, to Ashton. She turned towards the car, and a door slammed.

"RUN! THEY'RE COMING FROM THE FRONT!" Ashton screamed. Emma leaped into the Trans Am, and the car took off after Poison's bike. Emma and Val leaned out the window and turned around, shooting as many Dracs as they could. Emma watched Ashton fighting, too.

Then he screamed.

"TURN AROUND! THEY HIT HIM! THEY'LL KILL HIM!" She screamed. No one listened to her, and Jackie began to cry. She saw Ashton on the ground, and watched a Drac put a gun to his head. She watched as the beam of light go through his brain, and she fell back against the car seat and cried.

"Emma? What happened?" Jackie sniffled.

"He's gone." She said blankly.

"Emma. Listen to me." Val was talking sternly, but gently. "This is how it was meant to be. You and Jackie are safe. And right now, you need to turn around and kill as many of those motherfuckers as you can."

Emma didn't move. Val spoke again.

"Emma. Turn around. Shoot."

Robotically, Emma leaned out the window and began to shoot. Eventually, the Dracs pulled back. They were strong in numbers. Not to mention, the Killjoys had left Battery City, and were speeding through the desert.

"Everything's changed, hasn't it?" Emma heard the Killjoy driving whisper to the passenger.

"Yep. Follow Poison. She knows a safe place we can stay."

Emma leaned back against the seat, pulled Jackie, who was trembling, into her arms, and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>California 2019<p>

Zone 6

Dr. D leaned forward and flipped the switch on his control board. The lights came on, and the microphone crackled. He lifted it up and spoke.

"Killjoys, this is Dr. Death Defying. You're listening to the hottest new radio show under the desert sky. Listen now and listen loud – we're here to keep you 'live and running. We've got an oldie by the big boys themselves; this is Green Day's 'American Idiot'." He clicked off the microphone and leaned back in his chair, and Missile Kid and Show Pony came running – and skating – in.

"That was great!" Missile squealed, and she ran over and hugged Dr. D. Show Pony nodded in agreement, and leaned against a desk covered in tapes, CDs, and records.

"Not bad, Dr. D. You've got something here; just try not to fuck it up!" He joked.

"Don't you try to be tough, Pony Boy. I may be in a scooter, but I can still kick your ass." Dr. D laughed, and Pony gulped. "Ah, I'm just messin' with ya, kid!" He laughed, and Pony smiled. Missile ran to the door.

"I think Cherri's back – does she know about the Fibs yet?" Missile asked.

"Nah, we'll tell her soon. They're supposed to show up in two days, at 6 pm, in the area that used to be their neighbourhood. That's now Zone 5, right on the border of Zone 4." Dr. D said.

"Okay! I'll go see if she needs help!" Missile said, and took off towards the front of the diner.

"I swear, she was born running, that girl." Dr. D turned his chair around to face Pony. "How'd you find her, anyway?" He asked. Pony shifted awkwardly.

"Well, she was my friend's sister. I couldn't find him after the bombs, and when I went to his house, I found her there. She had left the shelter, but rather than go to Battery City with everyone else, she went home. She was trying to find them – her mom and brother." Pony sniffled, and turned towards the front door. "So I took her in, and we found the diner, and you. I'm gonna go see if Cherri and Missile need help." He skated out the door, and Dr. D turned back to the mic.

"Alright motorbabies, this next song is a classic from our boys in Jersey – this is My Chemical Romance's 'Famous Last Words."


	11. Chapter 11

**hello again readers! sorry i haven't updated in awhile, but i had exams. on top of that, my family went over our internet limit, but in that time, i wrote 2 new chapters for you! keep reviewing!**

* * *

><p>California 2019<p>

Zone 7

Gerard blinked as the sun hit his eye. He rolled over in his bed and reached for Lynz. He found her and snuggled close to her. _What a weird dream, _he thought. He buried his face into Lynz's neck, into her long, dark hair, and she sighed. Gerard opened his eyes, and found himself looking into – _Frank_?

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Gerard screeched. Frank opened his eyes and found that he and Gerard were a mess of tangled limbs.

"What the...fuck, Gerard, why are you in my house?" Frank yelled.

"Your house? This is my house! And why are you cuddling me?" Gerard and Frank blushed and quickly untangled themselves to find Ray and Mikey watching them in hysterics.

"What the fuck are _you _laughing at?" Gerard growled at them. They continued to laugh.

"Y-you guys...you should-should've seen yo-your faces!" Ray spluttered. Mikey fell off the rock he had been perched on. Then Gerard realized – they were in the desert.

"How the fuck did we get out here?" Gerard slowly got to his feet and brushed his long black hair off his forehead, and shielded his eyes.

"Where _is _here?" Mikey asked. He had finally regained the ability to speak.

"Well, for one, it's a desert, dumbass." Frank replied smartly. Mikey glared at him. Ray spoke.

"Shut up, Frank. We're all tired, confused, and honestly, I'm a bit freaked out." The others silently agreed.

"You boys lost?" Came a woman's voice from behind a nearby rock. The woman stepped out, and the 4 men couldn't understand what was going on. The woman was dressed in black jeans, a neon pink shirt, a grey leather jacket that was more patches and buttons than leather, and she had her blonde hair streaked with pink and pulled in a ponytail.

"Who are you?" Frank asked her.

"Cherri Cola." She answered, and they all became more confused.

"What?" Gerard asked. "You're named after a drink?" She laughed.

"No, I'm a Killjoy. And so are you guys." She walked towards them, and they noticed she had a holster containing a bright pink gun of some sort.

"A what?" Mikey asked, confusion written across his features.

"Killjoy. God, do I have to spell it out for you?" She asked, and then laughed. "Come on, guys. The others are expecting you at the diner." She turned to leave, but they didn't move.

"Explain what's going on here. So far, all I know is that I went to bed last night beside my wife. Our daughter was in the other room. Today, I woke up in the middle of the freaking desert, with my brother and friends, and you expect me to just _go with it?_ To just go wandering off with you – a girl I've known all of 5 minutes?" Gerard asked.

"Umm, yeah, that's pretty much it. If you want to survive, come with me. If you want to die – and let me tell you, that's not really an option for you guys – stay here." She turned and started walking. Mikey stood up and followed her.

"Mikey, what the hell are you doing?" Gerard asked. Mikey turned back and simply said,

"I'm going with her." He continued to follow Cherri Cola. Ray stood up, and began walking. Frank turned to Gerard.

"Well, what d'you think?" He asked, his hazel eyes glinting in the sun. Gerard stood up hastily, and helped Frank up.

"I think we should go." They began to follow the rest of the group.

They walked for hours, or what seemed like hours, until they saw a building in the distance. Ray turned to Cherri.

"Is that where we're going?" He asked her.

"Yup." She turned and yelled at Frank and Gerard, who were far behind her, Mikey, and Ray. "HEY, GUYS!" she shouted "MOVE YOUR ASSES!" They seemed to pick up the pace, but eventually they stopped trying. Frank was stumbling around, and had the appearance of an extremely drunk man. Cherri stopped, and she, Ray, and Mikey waited ten minutes for the other two to catch up.

"What the hell is taking you two so long?" she asked when they had caught up.

"I haven't had – my coffee yet – and I want a smoke." Gerard wheezed. Frank nodded.

"Me too. Can we get cigarettes anywhere?" He asked the blonde Killjoy hopefully.

"What do you think, Shorty? We're in the middle of the desert, and you think we're gonna find a corner store?" Frank scowled, and Cherri laughed.

"C'mon, guys, we're almost there." She said, and the group began walking, this time with Frank and Gerard keeping pace. About 20 minutes later, they reached an old diner.

"FOOD!" All four men yelled once they knew what the building was. Cherri laughed.

"You won't find anything good there, guys." They all froze. Cherri laughed again. "Hold up one minute, I'll go get Dr. D." Frank and Gerard flopped down on the sand, and Mikey and Ray walked 10 feet farther and sat on an old picnic table. Cherri came back out a moment later, and gathered up the exhausted men.

"C'mon, you need to meet someone." She said, and led them through the double doors of the diner. Inside, they saw a small girl with incredibly frizzy, curly hair, a young man who was incredibly skinny and who was wearing – was that a thong? They quickly looked at an older man in a motorized scooter, who had long brown hair and a short beard. The man rolled his scooter over.

"Hey boys, welcome to California 2019." He said. They looked at one another, and Gerard spoke.

"Umm, buddy, I think you're a bit confused. This is 2011, not 2019." He said. The man laughed.

"Well, Gerard, I hate to tell you that you're wrong." Gerard gasped.

"How – how do you know...?" He trailed off

"Your name? Easy. We've been keeping track of you guys, and we know it's time for you to be here. Don't you remember a red light outside your window last night? All of you?" He asked. Mikey started to nod.

"Yeah, Alicia was sleeping, but I got up to see what it was. Why?" He became suspicious.

"That was me. The light is a time transporter I created to bring you four here." Frank gulped.

"So this is real? Like, really serious?" He asked. The older man nodded. Frank teetered on his feet, and leaned on Gerard for support.

"So our families – where are they?" Ray asked quietly. It was the question that had been bothering all of them, but they didn't know if they wanted the answer. Cherri put a hand on Ray's shoulder, but spoke to all of them.

"You might want to sit down. There's a lot to go over." She said, her voice solemn.

A few hours later, life was drastically different for all four of them.

Ray sat in the diner, trying to figure out why everything had happened – the bombs, Battery City, why he and his band had been brought into the future to fix things. He had remained the calmest, and the most focused.

Mikey stood outside the diner. He looked out over the barren desert and thought of his old life. Alicia, the love of his life, his _wife_, was gone. And she... they had just found out she was pregnant the day before he was brought into this new world. He felt his eyes watering, and began to walk away from the diner. He needed to think, to hope that she was still alive, after all these years. And that their child was, too.

Frank woke up in a small bedroom, on a mattress on the floor. He looked around, and realized that he must have passed out. He sat up, and his head spun. Jamia, the woman he had promised to always take care of. And his girls, his babies, Cherry and Lily – they were gone. He had lost all hope. Frank leaned his head down and began to cry, sobs racking his entire body. He didn't even hear the door open.

Gerard opened the door to Frank's room. He saw his best friend crying, and didn't know what to do. He could do nothing. His family was gone, too. Lynz and Bandit – he couldn't remember what it felt like to hug them. He missed them so much. He knew how Frank felt, and knew that Frank had been so emotionally wrung out today. Gerard remembered how Frank had had to lean on him, and eventually Gerard had caught him when he passed out from hearing that his wife and girls hadn't been located, at least not in a Killjoy group.

"They're gone, Gee. My babies are gone. And Jamia –" Frank began to cry louder, and Gerard sat beside him and cradled him.

"Shh, Frankie. We need to be strong. We'll find our families or die trying." Frank looked up at him through a face full of tearstains, and nodded. The two hugged and cried over the loss of their families together, and eventually, they fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

California 2019

Zone 6

The next morning, Frank was the first to wake up. He reached into his pocket for his cigarettes, and realized he was in his pyjamas. He sat up. Gerard was beside him, also in his pyjamas. Gerard whimpered in his sleep.

"It's okay, Gee. Go back to sleep." Frank whispered, brushing the hair out of Gerard's face. He felt like an asshole. He had spent most of yesterday crying and passing out, and Gerard had been there to help him the whole time. Frank hadn't comforted Gerard at all, and Gerard had also lost his wife and daughter. Frank got up, and found two piles of clothes at the end of the mattress. One was an outfit his size – he assumed it was for him, so he got dressed quickly, praying that Gerard wouldn't wake up and catch him in his underwear. After a minute or so, he was dressed in black jeans, a yellow and black striped shirt, and a dark green vest. He wandered out into the diner, craving a cigarette. Instead, he found Ray and Cherri eating at a booth. Ray was wearing a new outfit, too – black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black jacket with an upside down American flag and a spider sewn onto the back.

Frank slid into the booth beside Cherri, and was met with a can of shit being pushed in his face.

"What's this?" He asked groggily. Cherri and Ray looked at each other, and Ray spoke.

"Breakfast." Frank screwed up his nose.

"Smells like dog food." He said.

"Good guess. Now eat." Cherri pushed a spoon towards him. He looked at her.

"You're joking, right? We're being hunted down by an evil group that goes by Better Living Industries, we've all lost family and friends," Frank flinched, "And you think I'm _joking?_" Frank grabbed the spoon, but didn't begin to eat. He looked at Ray, who took a bite of the canned food with a pained expression, and then he looked at Cherri, who glared at him.

"If you don't eat that, Ray and I will hold you down and force it down your throat." She growled. Gerard walked around the corner and looked at their group with a confused expression. Frank and Ray noticed he was wearing grey skinny jeans, a black t-shirt, and a blue jacket. As he sat down at the booth with them, they noticed the red logo on his back – a pill and an X under them, somewhat like a skull and cross bones, but it reminded them of their band, My Chemical Romance. Ray smiled a little.

"Morning, Gerard." He said, gently sliding a can of dog food in front of Gerard. Gerard looked at Frank, who said,

"It's dog food. We have to eat it or we're getting beat up by these two." Gerard nodded and took a bite. He seemed...defeated. He grimaced when he began to chew the food. Cherri looked at him with a motherly expression.

"Gerard, it's easier if you take small amounts and swallow them. Chewing it makes it worse." She said. Gerard followed her advice. Frank looked at his best friend, then at his can of dog food, and then back to Gerard. _If Gerard can eat this, so can I._ Frank thought stubbornly. He took a small spoonful, put it in his mouth, and swallowed quickly.

"Hey, this isn't so bad!" He said somewhat happily. The others stared at him, and Gerard gave a small smile.

"Remember when I dared you to eat one of your dog's treats back home?" Gerard asked Frank. Frank laughed.

"Yeah, and it still didn't taste as bad as most of my cooking!" The two smiled at each other, and Frank began to giggle. A few seconds later, the two were howling with laughter. Ray and Cherri stared at them in amazement, and just then a small voice shrieked in laughter. Show Pony skated into the diner with the small girl on his shoulders – Missile Kid, they remembered – the new Killjoys had met yesterday. Pony skated over to their table and lifted Missile off his shoulders and stood her up in front of the booth they were all sitting in. Missile smiled at them, a gap in her mouth where she had recently lost a tooth. Frank, Gerard, Ray, and Cherri finished their 'breakfast', and Ray, Cherri, and Pony stayed with Missile while she ate her can of dog food in a somewhat happy manner.

Frank and Gerard went outside and fidgeted nervously. Frank turned to Gerard.

"D'you have any smokes?" He asked.

"No, but I wish I did. I want coffee, too." Gerard paced a bit. "Wait a minute...where's Mikey?" Frank shrugged, and they turned toward the diner. They had walked about forty feet away from it without noticing. The headed back slowly, but began to walk faster as they became more concerned about Mikey. When they entered the diner, they went directly to Cherri Cola.

"Where's Mikey?" Gerard asked her in a worried tone. She smiled.

"Oh, he's probably still in his room. Probably just getting used to his outfit." She giggled. Frank raised his eyebrow.

"Can we go see him, or what?" He asked. Cherri's smile grew larger.

"Alright, c'mon. His room's in the same hall as all yours." She led them to a small hallway just off the diner, and went to the room on the far end. She knocked on the door.

"Mikey? You in there?" She was met with a somewhat worried tone.

"Umm, yeah, but I have some clothes in here – I mean, they fit and all, but...I don't think they're...right."

Gerard stepped up to the door. "What d'you mean, Mikey? Let me see it." He said.

"Umm...no."

"Mikey, come on." Frank called.

"No." Came the firm response from behind the door. Ray stepped up to the door.

"Michael James Way. Open this door now or I'll break it down." He said sternly. Mikey gasped.

"You wouldn't." He said, but his tone was nervous.

"Yeah, I would." Ray said with a finality that won the conversation. The door slowly opened. Gerard and Frank stared at Mikey, and began to howl with laughter. Ray slowly smiled, and had to turn away so he wouldn't start laughing at Mikey. Mikey slowly walked out of the room, and his outfit was revealed. He was wearing super-skinny black jeans, a tiger striped, loose tank top, and a somewhat tight red and black leather jacket.

"I feel dirty." Mikey said quietly, and this caused Frank and Gerard to lean on each other for support from their laughter. Eventually, they fell over and began rolling around in the hall way. Ray walked away with Pony and Missile, and Cherri nudged Frank and Gerard with her foot.

"C'mon, guys. Leave him alone. He didn't choose that outfit." Mikey looked at her.

"Well then, who _did_ pick this out?" He asked. Cherri smiled.

"I did." She giggled and turned around, leaving Frank and Gerard in the hall with Mikey. Mikey stepped over them, muttered,

"Fuck off, guys." and walked into the main part of the diner, where he too experienced what breakfast in 2019 consisted of – at least for the Killjoys. But Mikey knew he would rather eat dog food than be controlled by BL/ind. He hated the thought of millions of people worldwide being controlled by pills. He decided he would ask Dr. D about it later, but for now, he had to find a way to eat dog food, or rather, shit in a can, without being sick.


	13. Chapter 13

California 2019

Zone 5

Emma woke up to find herself sleeping in the backseat of an unfamiliar car. She looked at the seat next to her, where Jackie was snoring lightly. Emma opened the door and stepped into the bright sunlight, and looked around. Suddenly, everything that had happened the night before rushed into her mind - running from Dracs, rushing Jackie into the backseat of the old car, the redheaded killjoy on the motorcycle speeding ahead of them. Then screaming. Emma slouched against the car door, and sank to the ground, covering her eyes. Ashton laying on the pavement outside the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit. A gun being put to his head. And then Emma, herself, screaming, crying, pleading to go back. The brown haired killjoy telling her to shoot. Leaning out the car window, firing her ray gun. Swerving deadly beams. She opened her eyes and began to cry, still holding her head. She cried. She didn't know how long she cried for, but she didn't care - Ashton was gone. She turned her head, looking towards the front of the car. There, she saw the redheaded killjoy cleaning her motorcycle. The other two were nowhere to be found. Emma stood up, and swayed lightly. She looked all around her - and saw nothing but desert. Sand, dirt, cactus, and some rocks. That was all. She turned and started walking towards the short woman with the bike. She tried to speak when she reached her, but her throat was dry and she couldn't seem to make a sound. The woman smiled.

"Thirsty?" She asked, barely looking away from her bike. Emma nodded. The woman picked up a bag she had on the ground, and rummaged through it, finally pulling out a flask. She handed it to Emma and Emma drank as little as she could - she knew it would be difficult to replace - but she realized when she handed the flask back that she had drank more than half of the water.

"Thanks." She mumbled quietly. The redhead nodded, and stopped wiping the dust from her bike for a moment. She threw the rag on the sand.

"D'you have something to wear out here?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. I have it all in my bag - and Jackie has her things, too."

"What's your name?" The killjoy asked. Emma cleared her throat.

"Emma. Emma S-" The woman cut her off.

"I didn't mean your actual name - your killjoy name. But either way, nice to meet you, Emma." She smiled "A word of advice - don't tell many people your actual name - you never know who you can trust, and we don't need any surprise attacks from the Industries." Emma blushed.

"I-I don't have a killjoy name." She looked down. "What should it be? How do I pick it?" The redhead shifted, and looked away.

"I don't really know - I mean, it can be anything. I'm Poison Heart, by the way. Should've told you earlier, sorry." She smiled.

"What does that mean? I mean, to you?" Poison looked away. "It's not important, never mind. Sorry" Emma apologized.

"No, it's not too personal or anything. Just - when I picked it, I was...bitter. I felt like my heart had been, well, poisoned." She looked at Emma and smiled softly. "Anyway, if you have trouble picking one, just go talk to Val."

"Who's Val?" Emma asked. "Was she in the car yesterday?" Poison nodded.

"Yup. She's got brown hair. Yellow mask." Emma nodded.

"Alright - but where is she?" Poison picked up her cleaning rag, and nodded her head to a spot not too far from where they were standing.

"She's over there - probably drawing, or listening to Static talk." Emma nodded, and walked off towards the other two women.

"Hey! How are ya?" One of them called out cheerfully as Emma approached. Emma acknowledged her with a nod. As she got closer, she noticed she was the tallest girl in their group, with multicolored hair and blue eyes. The girl bounded over to her.

"I'm Static Symphony - Static for short. What's up?" She asked. Emma looked at her.

"Not-nothing. I just wanted to talk to Val - is that her?" Emma asked, pointing a finger at the third woman, sitting on a rock, and turned away from them. She noticed she had short, brown hair, cut in some sort of faux-hawk style.

"Yup. That's Val. She's drawing, but she won't mind you. It's me that annoys her. Always has been, always will." Static laughed, and Emma wondered how she was so happy about being annoying to someone in her group. The two walked over to Val. She was so absorbed in whatever she was doing that she didn't notice them walk up behind her. Static leaned towards her, and spoke suddenly.

"Hey Val." It wasn't much, but it made Val jump. Emma noticed she was drawing on a scrap of paper, already covered in drawings. Val threw a small stone at Static.

"Thanks, Static. Thanks a lot." She growled. Static smiled.

"Anytime, sis!" And she bounded off towards the car. Emma looked at Val questioningly.

"You two are sisters?" She asked. Val sighed.

"Three. Poison's our older sister." Emma was dumbfounded, and Val smiled.

"What? We stick together - even though the youngest one of us is an annoying little shit." Emma smiled.

"She doesn't seem that bad." This time Val laughed, and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Give it time. She'll drive you nuts one of these days." Val cleared her throat. "Anyway, did you need something?" Emma nodded.

"Umm, yeah. Poison, she said I need a killjoy name, and that you could help me out." She looked away nervously.

"Alright." Val said. "Lemme think...I'm thinking something to do with how you became a killjoy - I mean, we picked you up at night...Night...Dark...Moonlit. That's good...and, umm, what else..." She trailed off, and looked away. Emma smiled - midnight. So far, so good.

"Hmm..." Val spoke again. "Moonlit... and what else...you seemed really driven last night...maybe anger. No, umm, fury? No, wait - Malice." Val smiled.

"Moonlit Malice. What d'you think?" She looked at Emma, smiling slightly. Emma thought it over for a moment.

"It's perfect." She said. "Um, Val...is that your full name? Or is it short for something?" Val nodded.

"Yeah, my full name's Graffiti Valentine. Val for short, as you know." Emma nodded, and her stomach growled. Val laughed. "C'mon, let's head back. We'll get you something to eat." Val got up from her rock, and the two headed back to the others. While walking, Val spoke "Remember, from now, you're Moonlit Malace - any idea of a short form?"

"Malice. It makes me sound tough." Emma said, jokingly. Val laughed, and put an arm on her shoulder.

"You are tough. Trust me, you'll be fine."

When they reached the group again, Malice noticed that Static was sitting on the ground with Jackie. She walked a bit faster to see how Jackie was, and Val stayed a few paces back.

"Hey, Jackie, how're you doing, sweetie?" Malice asked, sitting beside the small girl and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Good. Static was telling me a story about someone falling off a motorcycle." She giggled, and Val shot an angry look at Static. Static smiled innocently.

"What? I didn't use names or anything." She laughed, and looked at Malice. "So, what's your name now?"

"Moonlit Malice." Emma said, and Jackie looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, you're Emma." She said. Emma looked at Static, who looked at Val, who looked unsure of how to explain everything to the girl. Poison's voice came from behind them just then.

"Hey, honey. How are you?" She asked Jackie.

"Good." Jackie said, and she looked away shyly. Poison sat on her other side.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Jackie."

Poison smiled. "That's a pretty name. Alright, Jackie, I have to tell you something, and it's really important that you pay attention. Okay?" Jackie nodded.

Poison cleared her throat. "Jackie, when you left Battery City last night, do you know why we had to hurry?" Jackie shook her head. Poison continued, "Well, there were some very bad people. And we had to get you out safely. Now, you need a special name - a code name, you could say - because we don't want the bad guys to hurt you. You understand?" Jackie nodded slowly.

"But why do they want to hurt me? I didn't do anything to them." Poison sighed.

"Jackie, no one knows why they want to hurt us, but they do. So now, we need to find a new name for you. And - and you can't tell anyone what your real name is. Okay?" She bit her lip, and looked at Jackie. Malice squeezed the girl's shoulder in support.

"So - so no one can know I'm Jackie? Ever?" Tears welled up in her eyes. Poison shook her head.

"The only people that will know you're really Jackie are Malice, Static, Val, me, and you." Jackie wiped the tears from her eyes.

"But if I don't tell people who I am, how can I find my daddy?" Poison looked shocked.

"Why would you need to find your daddy?" She asked.

"He left when I was little - I don't remember him. But mommy does and she said he loved us still and he didn't want to leave us, not really."

Poison cleared her throat and sniffed. Her sisters could tell she was close to tears. Static jumped in.

"Anyway, Jackie, let's pick a name. If we find your daddy, he'll recognize you, so it'll work out." Jackie smiled.

"Umm, okay. What do I pick?" She looked expectantly at the older women around her. Val spoke.

"Well, what do you like? Something really nice, that makes you happy. And that you won't get tired of." Jackie thought for a few minutes.

"I don't know - can I be Angel?" She asked hopefully. Val nodded, and added,

"You need something else, something different from anyone else...how about we add Threat to that? Threat Angel?" Jackie smiled.

"Okay - but Angel for short!" The older killjoys smiled. Malice hugged her.

"We'll be okay, Angel." Angel hugged her back.

"I know." She leaned back and looked at Malice. "Now what do we do?" Malice looked at the other killjoys, who shrugged.

"Well, you guys should get changed, eat, and then...we can look for somewhere to stay tonight." Poison said, before walking away.


	14. Chapter 14

**hello there reader-peoples! sorry i haven't been writing much lately, it's just that i...well, i haven't. i don't really know what the end result of this story will be, so for now i'm just wining it. anyway, i've also started a new story (hahaha...yeah) and i don't know which of my stories is going to be written more. thanks again for reading, and please review!**

* * *

><p><strong>California 2019<strong>

**Zone 5**

Malice picked Angel up and carried the small girl towards the old Trans Am. She placed her in the backseat, and pulled an old blanket over her. Tucking a stray hair behind the girl's ear, she smiled, and closed the car door. She turned back to the small fire, where the other Killjoys were listening to their transmitter and speaking quietly.

"Is Angel sleeping?" Static asked Malice.

"Yup. Did I miss anything important?" She asked, glancing down at the small radio-like device.

"Nah, there normally isn't much important on here – we just love listening to Dr. D's show." Static responded, reaching for the last few coffee beans her sister had found in the small house they had recently stayed in. Poison glared at her.

"What're you doing?" Poison asked her. Static smiled, and replied,

"I'm using the coffee beans to make dog food taste better." She ground up the beans with the blunt end of her gun and poured the tiny pieces into the can. Poison rolled her eyes.

"EEWWW!" Static spluttered, spitting the shitty food out, "That is disgusting!" Poison looked pissed off.

"Why the fuck would you waste the last of our coffee trying to make shit taste good?" She muttered, glaring at her sister. Val and Malice looked at each other, and Val started to giggle.

"What're you laughing at?" Poison shot out at Val, but Malice had also started to laugh. Static was rinsing her mouth out with water, but when she saw the look her redheaded sister was giving her, she lost it. She spit the water from her mouth, like a movie spit-take, and got it all over Malice.

A moment later, all 4 were in hysterics. It took them at least five minutes to calm down, and eventually they had to stop. Malice and Static were leaning against each other, trying to catch their breaths. Poison was wiping tears from her eyes and frantically trying to stop her silent giggles, and Val was clutching a stitch in her side. Eventually, they had all calmed down enough to continue listening to their transmitter, talking quietly until they all began to fall asleep under the desert stars.

**California 2019**

**Zone 6 – The Diner**

Cherri walked up to the booth that Mikey, Gerard, Ray, and Frank were sitting in, trying to swallow their canned dinner. She smiled.

"Alright, boys, I was talking to Dr. D, and he thinks it's time you learned how to shoot." She said. Gerard frowned.

"Why?" He asked, and the other 3 men looked up. They knew where this would go.

"Because you're all kinda useless at the moment, and you need to b able to defend yourselves." She answered, not knowing what Gerard's problem was all of a sudden.

"I don't care if I'm useless. I'm not gonna go out there and kill some innocent person for my own well being." He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Cherri frowned.

"Well then, listen up, Gerard. You don't have a choice. You have to do this, whether you want to or not." She, too, folded her arms. Gerard looked away. Cherri squinted her eyes menacingly.

"Alright then Gerard, what's most important to you? Hmm?" She asked, but he didn't respond. "Because you seemed pretty upset when you heard what the Industries had done. I don't think you understand that, though, so I'm gonna tell you point-blank that _they will kill you_. They will kill anyone who gets in the way of their power. Including you. _Especially_ you. You four are the inspiration behind the Killjoys. You are the reason we're fighting them. That's why _you _were brought here."

Gerard felt tears rise up in his eyes, and he looked at Cherri. He shook his head, wiped the tears from his hazel eyes, and gave a small nod. Cherri reached into a small bag she had placed on the floor. From the bag, she pulled out 4 brightly coloured ray guns. One green, which she handed to Frank. A red one, which was given to Mikey. Another, blue, she gave to Ray. And finally, the yellow, which she handed to Gerard.

"By the way, boys – you have new names now. The Industries can't find you, so Dr. D has created a name or each of you. Frank gaped at her.

"Whaddaya mean? We can't even keep our names?" Cherri shook her head.

"No. It makes it too easy for them to find you, and you're way too important to be found and killed by them." She looked at Gerard, "You're Party Poison." He looked at the table.

Cherri turned to Mikey and Ray, saying, "Kobra Kid for you, Mikey. And Ray, you're Jet Star." She looked at Frank last. "Fun Ghoul." He looked out the dirty window.

Cherri stood up. "Alright then, guys, let's teach you how to shoot a gun.

3 hours later, Cherri and Pony were working frantically to replace Fun Ghouls' targets. He was shooting through them at a rapid pace, while the other three were still trying to get their shots directly in the center. Ghoul laughed,

"This is awesome!" He shouted as he shot the middle of another target. Cherri frowned.

"Alright guys, I think that's more than enough or today. Go on, get lost." Party, Kobra, and Jet walked off, leaving their friend to beg with Pony to let him keep shooting.

"You'll lose the energy in your gun." Pony said to Ghoul, for the fourth time. Ghoul frowned, and turned away to catch up with his friends. He had to run to get to them.

"Thanks a lot for waiting, you guys." He said sarcastically. No one replied, but Party ruffled his hair. Ghoul smiled.

"Y'know guys, we just might make it!" Ghoul said, and the four headed back into the diner to find Dr. D and ask him if he had any Smashing Pumpkins albums. Which, of course, he did.


	15. Chapter 15

**California 2019**

**Zone 6 - The Diner**

Party Poison looked out the window, trying to avoid eating the dog food in the can in front of him. Kobra walked up to the booth Party was in and sat down.

"Y'know what, bro? This all seems really familiar." Kobra rubbed his temples, and Party pushed the can away.

"I know what you mean, Kobra. It's like...like something I've dreamed about before." Kobra looked up, and Party glanced outside again, to see Jet and Ghoul run past. He craned his neck to try and follow what they were doing. Kobra followed Party's gaze and chuckled.

"Ghoul probably just found a new way to piss off Jet." Just then, Jet caught up to Ghoul and tackled him to the dirt, only to stand up and walk away after. They watched him walk towards the front door of the diner, and a moment later, he was striding towards them and sitting down beside Kobra.

"What the hell was all that about?" Party asked Jet, as they glanced outside to see Ghoul picking himself up, dusting off his sleeve, then shooting them all – or Jet – the finger.

"The little ass thought he could put motor oil in my shoes and get away with it." Jet smiled and leaned back, as Ghoul entered the diner. He apprehensively sat down beside Party, and reached for a cigarette.

"Goddamn!" He yelled as he opened up an empty package. "I could've sworn I had two left last night, and now..." He trailed off, looking at Party, whose face was turning bright pink.

"Party, did you take my smokes?" Ghoul asked, his tone going completely cold.

"Umm, no." Party looked out the window again to hide his blushing face.

"You bastard. You can't lie, y'know that?" Ghoul punched Party's arm, and leaned back forcefully against the seat of the booth, smacking his head in the process.

"FUCK!" He cried, and just then Missile ran in.

"Guys! Guys! Dr. D wants to see you!" She bounced on every word.

"Alright Missile, calm down!" Jet said, patting her curly hair as he stood up and walked past her. Kobra and Ghoul followed, and Party lagged behind a bit with Missile.

"Why're you so excited, kid?" He asked her as they slowly followed the others towards the back room.

"We're getting new killjoys!" She giggled, "And one of 'em's a kid like me!" She took off towards the back room, giggling and skipping, as Party stood still for a moment.

"New killjoys?" He muttered to himself, before quickening his pace to catch up with the others.

**California 2019**

**Zone 5**

"C'mon, Malice! Hurry up!" Static called, throwing her bag into the trunk of the Trans Am. Malice smiled, and Angel tugged at her jacket.

"Where're we goin', Mal?" The small girl asked.

"We're going to meet some new people, Angel." Angel looked wary.

"But I don't wanna. What if they're mean?" She asked, her hazel eyes growing large. Malice smiled, and tossed her own bag into the car, before taking Angel's hand.

"Don't worry, they're old friends of mine. They won't be mean to you, okay?" Angel smiled, and nodded, before jumping into the backseat of the car.

"Seatbelt, Angel, okay?" Malice reminded her. Angel had been hero-worshipping Static since the first few days they had been together, and since Static didn't like seatbelts – or anything safe, for that matter – Angel had been trying to avoid the seatbelt for over a week. Mal couldn't believe that they had been in the desert for almost a month now. She shook her head, and walked over to Poison, who was strapping her old satchel onto her bike.

"So, you ready to go?" Mal asked, and Poison smiled.

"Sort of. We haven't been in one place for very long since we were with Ruby and Drain. It'll be weird, but probably better for Angel." Poison turned around to face Malice.

"Well, you know Pony. And there's Dr. D – from the transmitter show – he's really nice. Then there's Agent CC, and Missile Kid. She's close to Angels' age, so they should get along." Mal patted Poison's shoulder, and turned back towards the Trans Am, where she climbed into the driver's seat.

Static climbed into the backseat, to Angel's delight, and Val clambered into the passengers' seat up front.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Static asked.

"Zone 6 – they're all at an old diner there, so we'll get to sleep on mattresses rather than the ground." Static cheered, and Angel copied her. Val rolled her eyes, and Malice looked into the rear view mirror to see Poison waiting behind them on her bike. She gave Malice a thumbs up, and Malice hit the gas.

Two hours later, an old diner came into view. Malice smiled, and Static stuck her head out the window, her multi-coloured hair streaming out behind her.

"WE GET SHOWERS!" She yelled happily, and everyone in the car laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

**California 2019**

**Zone 6 – The Diner**

Party, Ghoul, Jet, and Kobra were sitting in the diner at a fairly clean booth.

"I don't see why they're making us stay in here. You'd think we were criminals or something."  
>Ghoul muttered, and Party laughed.<p>

"You heard Dr. D. They need to make sure there's no problem with these guys before they let them meet everyone." He said. Jet spoke up.

"Yeah, these other killjoys are probably, like, 6 feet tall and built. They've been out here for god knows how long, and Dr. D seemed to be really...I don't know...impressed by them." He laughed, and just then they heard what sounded like a car and a motorbike pull up. Everything seemed quiet for a moment, and they heard car doors slamming. Then –

"OH MY GOD, GIRL! YOU LOOK AMAZING!" Show Pony yelled, and they heard someone fall. They looked at each other, worried about what might have happened. They listened to Show Pony freak out for a moment or two, and then they heard the sound of Dr. D's scooter.

"Alright, boys, it's all clear. C'mon out and meet our new group." He turned back out the front door and left them. Then, all at once, they jumped up, and walked quickly to the front door, pausing for just a moment. Party straightened up and pushed the door open, and stepped into the sunlight.

The four men walked out together, and saw four women and a small girl pulling bags from the trunk of an old car. None of them were 6 feet tall and built, as Jet had predicted. But they did look like they'd been out of civilization for quite some time.

The first woman they noticed was the tallest, probably around 5'10, and her long hair was streaked with every possible colour. She wore black denim shorts with knee high socks, and her boots looked like they'd been through the ringer. They noticed that there was a gun sticking out of one of her socks. Her shirt was yellow and black striped, like a bumblebee, and her old vest was a bright green colour. Ghoul eyed her clothes for a moment, before noticing that they were very similar to his own.

Another woman had brown hair cut into a strange faux-hawk, and she had dyed the sides bright red. She was wearing a black jacket, black jeans, and a white and black striped top, along with a red scarf. She, too, looked very dusty, and when she removed her gloves, they noticed that her hands were covered in charcoal. Gerard couldn't help but think she was an artist, because he knew many people from art school whose hands were constantly covered in their medium of choice.

The third woman was definitely the shortest, and her short hair had been dyed red, with random black chunks in it. She wore a black leather jacket, black shirt, and purple skinny jeans, with black boots that were very worn. Mikey eyed her boots, and decided he would try and trade her for his.

The last woman, the one with the girl attached to her side, looked like she had spent the least time in the desert. Her hair was jet black, and her clothes were nowhere near as dirty as the other three women. She wore a red jacket, black jeans, and a white shirt. The girl beside her was tiny, although Party, Jet, Ghoul, and Kobra thought she looked older. She had brown hair and was wearing black jeans, a blue shirt, and a white vest, covered in random scribbles of colour. They couldn't tell what her face looked like, because she had it buried in the side of the black haired woman.

Kobra, Party, Ghoul, and Jet took in all of this in a few moments, and noticed that the red-haired woman was studying them too. She took a step towards them, and her eyes widened. Suddenly, she burst into tears, and two of the other women – the faux-hawk and the rainbow streaks – ran towards her.

She was crying too hard for them to understand her, and after a moment, they seemed to realize she was crying about them. The four men looked away uncomfortably, and wished that Dr. D would explain just what the fuck was going on.

A few moments later, the three women walked over to them, and the red-head hugged Party.

"I never thought I would meet you. _Ever_." She said, and wiped her face with her sleeve. Party looked shocked, and wondered how she could have known who he was. The woman looked at him, blushing, and spoke.

"You, um, you are...y'know, _him_, right?" she lowered her voice, "Gerard Way?" Party took a step back. He hadn't heard the name in almost a month, and hadn't even considered the fact that My Chem fans would remember him after all these years.

"How...how did you know?" He asked, as the other men stared in bewilderment.

"I-well, we loved you guys. Saw you a bunch of times before the bombs. You were my favourite band." The redhead smiled, and held out her hand. "I'm Poison Heart, Poison for short. These are my sisters," she motioned at the girl with the faux-hawk "Graffiti Valentine, or Val," the woman smiled, and gave each of the men a quick hug. Poison introduced the woman with multicoloured hair, "Static Symphony, Static for short," who ran at Ghoul and hugged him tightly.

After Poison had introduced her sisters, she introduced the other woman with them as Moonlit Malice.

"We got her and Angel from Battery City about a month ago. Pony asked us to, and we thought it couldn't be so bad, and we've been with them ever since." Malice shook each of their hands, but didn't seem to know who they were. The small girl on her hip – Threat Angel, as they had learned – was very shy around men.

"She's lived with her mom pretty much her whole life." Malice explained. "Her dad was recruited as a Drac when she was 3, so she never really knew him." Everyone grew quiet, even the newest killjoys, because they knew that she'd probably never see her father again.

"How old is she?" Kobra asked. The little girl seemed to stiffen at his voice, and before Malice could reply, Angel answered.

"I'm 7." Everyone in the group went quiet, and Angel looked up at Kobra. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Angel's eyes grew large and she smiled.

Party gasped.

"Bro, she looks like- He stopped.

Angel took a tentative step towards Kobra, and spoke.

"Daddy?"


	17. Chapter 17

**California 2019**

**Zone 6 – The Diner**

Kobra gaped at the small girl, who was studying him with huge, hazel eyes.

_My eyes_, Kobra thought. He took a small step towards her and knelt down in front of Angel. After studying her for a moment, he noticed that she had Alicia's face. Almost exactly, the only exception being his own eyes – and hair colour, he noted.

Party, Jet, and Ghoul hadn't moved. All three were looking back and forth between Kobra and Angel. After what seemed like forever, Angel's eyes welled up. She reached out her hand and patted his cheek softly.

"You are. You're daddy!" She squealed, and started crying. Kobra couldn't help from pulling the small girl into his arms. He patted her hair and held her while she cried, and when she had finished, she flashed him a shy smile.

"I missed you, daddy." She said. Kobra smiled back at her, and spoke for the first time.

"You're so pretty. You look just like Alicia." He said in awe.

"Not my eyes though daddy. You and me have the same eyes!" Angel said.

Kobra seemed to have lost all ability to talk, and at that moment the black haired woman – Malice – stepped forward and asked to speak to him privately. She led him around the side of the diner and began asking him questions.

"Who are you married to?"

"Alicia."

"What's her maiden name?"

"Simmons."

"The date of your wedding?"

"March 8, 2007."

She studied him for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Sorry about all that. It's just...I've known Angel and Alicia since – well, since you were drafted a Drac." She paused for a moment, and slapped her forhead.

"God dammit! You're a Drac – well, not _you _you, but the Mikey from this time." She groaned and paced for a moment, before looking at Kobra. He had leaned against the side of the diner and sunk to the ground.

"Malice – how is she? Alicia? Does she remember me, or is she on the...the drugs?" His last words were a whisper.

"She's fine. Not on the drugs, she's been working in the headquarters. They needed her to think properly, so she couldn't take them."

Kobra became angry. "You mean she's working with them? Why? She must know what they're really-" Malice cut him off.

"She knows what's happening. So did Ash and I. That's why we've were working with Dr. D out of Battery City." Kobra looked up intently.

"You were what?" He asked. Malice looked in the direction of the other killjoys, who they could hear were talking excitedly.

"We should go back. You need to know everything. So do the others..." She looked at him, and offered her hand. Kobra took it and stood up. Malice put a hand on his shoulder and spoke,

"Before we left – Angel and I – Alicia told me to look out for you. She wanted me to tell you that she misses you and loves you." Kobra smiled, and Malice removed her hand. She began walking back, but Kobra called after her.

"Malice...what's her name? I mean, not her Killjoy name, but..." He looked hopefully at her, and she smiled.

"Jacqueline. We all called her Jackie, though, for short." Malice turned again, and began walking towards the rest of the group. Kobra smiled to himself.

_Jackie,_ he thought. _If I had a daughter, that's – _he paused. Of course that's what he would name his daughter. He already had. Well, the other version of himself had, at least.

He turned back towards the front of the diner and headed out to see his daughter again.


End file.
